Nuseed to Supply Carinata for Top European Biodiesel Producer

Cindy Zimmerman

Nuseed Limited has a new agreement with the largest biodiesel producer in Europe to supply Nuseed Carinata as a feedstock for certified low carbon oil for renewable fuels and high protein non-GMO meal for livestock feed. Nuseed, a subsidiary of Nufarm Limited, made the multi-year agreement with Saipol in France because the Nuseed Carinata production system was found to achieve …

Biodiesel, feedstocks, International

Losing Topsoil? Plant Switchgrass.

Joanna Schroeder

Switchgrass, an energy feedstock that can be used for biofuel production, now has another benefit: it can improve soil quality and can be grown on farms that have lost fertile topsoil. According to new research from the University of Missouri (MU) College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources has found that switchgrass may be a promising option for growers who …

advanced biofuels, Farming, feedstocks, Research

Mexican #Ethanol Producers Consider Sorghum as Feedstock

Joanna Schroeder

A contingency of ethanol producers from Mexico recently visited the U.S. to look at the option of sorghum as an ethanol feedstock as the country’s industry continues to grow following the announcement by Pemex, the country’s state-owned petro company, to blend ethanol into its gas. Hosted by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) in partnership with the United Sorghum Checkoff Program …

biofuels, Ethanol, Exports, feedstocks, USGC

Bioenergy Crop Modeling Predicts Soil Carbon Increases

Joanna Schroeder

Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Argonne National Laboratory are using computational modeling to predict which counties in Illinois could see increases in soil organic carbon from crops such as switchgrass for biofuels. Increasing carbon stored in soil is one way to help mediate the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) …

advanced biofuels, Cellulosic, feedstocks, Research

The Ecology of a New Crop

Joanna Schroeder

Researchers at the UConn Plant Science Farm are studying the ecology of camelina as a high-tech crop. The research team is led by professor emerita Carol Auer and she and her team have been working with Camelina sativa, an oilseed crop that has never been grown commercially in the state. The feedstock has been subject to genetic modification for use …

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, bioplastics, feedstocks, Research

Wild Sorghum Shows Potential as Biofuel Crop

Joanna Schroeder

A variety of wild sorghum that grows on the roadside in northern Australia is showing great potential as a biofuel crop. Researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls at the University of Adelaide have discovered that the sorghum variety Arun has the potential to yield over 10,000 liters of bioethanol per hectare per year. Scientists looked …

advanced biofuels, Ethanol, feedstocks, Research

Repreve Renewables Opens NC Processing Center

Joanna Schroeder

Repreve Renewables has opened a new processing center in Greensboro, North Carolina. The company’s primary crop is giant miscanthus, a drought tolerant perennial that needs low inputs yet provides high yields. Research has shown the crop also improves soil and water quality. Giant miscanthus can be used as a feedstock for a variety of products including bioenergy to poultry bedding. …

advanced biofuels, bioenergy, feedstocks

USDA Awards $8M for Advanced Biofuel Projects

Joanna Schroeder

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $8.8 million in funding to boost advanced biofuel production and assist in sustaining jobs at renewable energy facilities in 39 states. The funds, provided through USDA’s Advanced Biofuel Payment Program, tie in to several USDA programs also aimed at increasing advanced biofuel production including the Farm Bill’s bio-refinery program, the Green Fleet …

advanced biofuels, biomass, feedstocks

U of Guelph Discovers Key to Increasing Biomass

Joanna Schroeder

University of Guelph researchers may have found the key to increasing food and fuel (#Biofuel) production. By modifying a plant’s genetic profile, researchers doubled the plant’s growth and increased seed production by more than 400 percent. The findings were published in the March 2016 issue of Plant Biotechnology Journal. Using Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant that has similar characteristics to …

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, feedstocks, Research